The idea of whitelisting is very instructive.

In fact, in addition to the engineering procurement can be used in this way, other procurement carried out by the government can also be applied, which is nothing more than modification and supplementation in details.

As an institution that manages a large amount of state assets, the Shaofu has the function of distributing wealth in addition to accumulating wealth.

Because money is only a resource for power, the key is to convert it into more practical and useful things, such as armies, food supplies, and assets that can generate repatriation funds, such as the city that never sleeps.

Transporting the silver home and covering it is an absolute miser mentality.

As an emperor, if civil commerce withers and agriculture decays, then no matter how much silver you have hidden in your treasury, it will be quickly consumed in the end.

If you don't take the initiative to divide your wealth, the people will make you passively pay for it. At least large-scale investment in construction is much better than large-scale counterinsurgency repression.

In addition, Gu Zuo's conversation with the three juzi on the way from Yangzhou to Jingshi also gave him more room for imagination.

Later, in prison, the dark and quiet environment also gave him plenty of time to think.

From this point of view, it is not good or bad to close for a month. After all, if he was outside, how could he have so much mind to think about something purely theoretical.

However, at that time, he decided to write it down because he felt that he would no longer see the emperor.

But he felt that some of his thoughts were important, so he chose to record them on paper.

If one day his life is not guaranteed, at least he can ask someone to hand over such a thing to the emperor, so that he will die without regrets.

This kind of mentality, Gu Zuo didn't tell the emperor that he didn't need to show loyalty, he was loyal or disloyal The emperor knew it very well.

So just present the stuff.

In fact, Zhu Houzhao knew that Gu Zuo was writing in prison, so he understood with one action, "The book is ready?" ”

Zhu Houzhao is also a little curious about what kind of writings on the economy can be written by people in this era.

"It shouldn't be a book, it's just a clumsy work of Weichen. If you are free, please also ask the Holy Emperor to visit. ”

Zhu Houzhao beckoned, and Liu Jin took the things.

“…… Let's talk about it. Why write this book. ”

"As I said earlier, Weichen happened to meet three people on the boat. They are all local merchant families in Yangzhou, and they have been exposed to it since childhood, and they have an unusual understanding of business and money. Along the way, Wechen mentioned treasure money, silver, sea trade, and grain to them. There was a sentence in the coaxing, and Weichen was shocked. ”

"What?"

"After the imperial court opened the sea, a large number of tea, porcelain, silk were exported overseas, and a large amount of silver was imported into China, in the long run, the more silver in China, the price of silver is bound to decrease day by day, so the price of rice and salt is bound to become more and more expensive, and in the end, the more silver, the more difficult it is for the people. And if we want to solve this crisis, we must exchange some food at the same time as silver. Only food can fill the stomach. ”

"Three lifters?"

Gu Zuo immediately spoke, "Your Majesty, there is indeed something wrong with these three people arguing about the government in vain. However, the minister spent several days with them, and knew that they were not unfaithful and unfilial, and asked His Majesty to forgive them. ”

"No, you'd be wrong." Zhu Hou looked at the book in his hand, "I am surprised that the three people can have such an opinion. Actually, they are quite right. ”

Liu Jin was slightly surprised when he listened to it, Gu Liqing is Gu Liqing, and his holy favor is really not ordinarily good.

"Your book is titled "On Maritime Trade", and although it has not yet been opened, it must be very exciting. As for the names of those three people, I don't ask too much, I see that I am going to take the imperial examination, so let them take the examination first. In the name of justice, I am the emperor after all, it is better to arrange. ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

"As for your discussions, you have come to understand the nature of money. That is, money itself does not have value, it has value because everyone recognizes it. In fact, it is also a good deal for the imperial court to exchange silk and porcelain for food, and these are all right. But that doesn't mean that money is useless. ”

"For example, if the imperial court wants to build roads, silver is still the best resource, and it is not easy to use porcelain and silk, at least it is inconvenient, so for a period of time, it is a good choice to let overseas silver enter China. It is actually something like what I told you earlier, which is to give the people the means to earn a living, so that they can have money to spend. The same is true for overseas silver imports. ”

To put it bluntly, there must be a sufficient amount of money for economic activity.

If there is not enough currency, the transaction is troublesome, which is actually quite a big constraint, and it can even be said that you almost don't think about the word prosperity.

Historically, the Ming Dynasty was still a country with relatively little silver during this period, so hundreds of millions of silver were imported in the following decades.

From a market point of view, if the price of silver is so cheap in China that no one wants it, then merchants will naturally be reluctant to ask for silver when they go to sea. But this is not the case.

"I also heard that the country of Dongying has a huge silver mine."

"Silver Mine?!" Even Gu Zuo had a moment of envy.

Envy will want it.

However, these are still far away, and the Ming Dynasty did not even have a decent sailor.

"Just heard. Liqing, I'd better read your book first. If you don't mind, I'll make some annotations on the side. ”

Gu Zuo was flattered, "Weichen will do what His Majesty wishes." ”

"Okay, then you can step back first."

"Yes."

Zhu Houzhao actually has a weird feeling,

If it weren't for him, a guest from later generations, how could anyone in the Ming Dynasty think about trade and currency?

So he looked at it seriously with a hint of curiosity.

The title of "Treatise on Maritime Trade" is somewhat arbitrary, but it does not affect its content, and the book is divided into four parts, the first part of which introduces the background of the imperial court's opening of the sea.

In fact, it was some of the reasons for the people of Zhejiang and Fujian to go to sea for a living that the imperial court considered at the beginning.

Zhu Houzhao felt that he had avoided some questions, such as why the imperial court banned the sea during the Hongwu period. The courtier did not dare to write, but he, the emperor, could decide.

At the beginning of the founding of the country, in the face of the two-sided attack of the southeast and the Northern Yuan, Emperor Taizu was right to make such a decision.

At that time, it was right to ban the sea, and it was also right to open the sea at this time. This is called pragmatism and flexibility. It would be a great blessing if there were two of these things in the atmosphere of governance.

Because in the final analysis, there is no politician who will not make mistakes, and the key is to find that it is wrong and can correct it immediately. This ability is often more important than the extent to which you make the right decisions.

"Liu Jin, go and bring the "Taizu Record".

"Yes."

After that, the emperor spread out Gu Zuo's book, and added these contents in the gaps of the words according to the actual record. Although it is actually not as good as Gu Zuo, it is not obvious to laymen.

The second part of the book is about trade and money.

The main content is to write about the importance of trade and the support of money for trade activities. There are some inaccuracies in this, because Gu Zuo was born in the era of a small peasant economy, and inevitably had a sense of superiority that the central dynasty 'had abundant production and nothing', so he regarded trade activities as a kind of grace from the kingdom.

Zhu Houzhao made a note here, he didn't want to eliminate the superiority of these people, he wanted to tell people that although the Ming Dynasty was rich in products, the products could only be exchanged for silver if they were sold.

Silk is not to be eaten.

From this point of view, trade is carried out for the sake of the people of the country.

I can't think that I am the superior country of the Celestial Empire, and if I am willing to trade with you, I will trade, and if I am not willing, I will be sealed, so what should the people of my country do maritime trade with?

For currency, Zhu Houzhao added a comment: currency can be defined as a general equivalent.

This is what he learned in a high school textbook, in fact, the definition of money is controversial in academic circles, and its connotation is not simple to explain clearly.

But it is enough for now, enough for people of this generation to comprehend for many years. If it were to be written as 'a kind of contract of exchange rights corresponding to the equivalent of labor,' they would have to understand it.

The third part of the book is about how the current Ming Dynasty should carry out maritime trade. The fourth part is about the future outlook for overseas trade.

In general, "Treatise on Maritime Trade" can be defined as the first book in ancient times to reflect on the gains and losses of China's trade with overseas trade, and it jumped out of the shackles of simply "making money", systematically described the relationship between trade and currency, and played a role in stimulating contemporary literati to think more about economics. Although there were some shortcomings and mistakes, it was the first time that the bureaucratic elite of the Ming Dynasty and the academic staff of the academy began to treat economics as a subject.

In this sense, the impact cannot be overstated. After that, Emperor Zhengde continued to promote and appoint a new type of economic officials, and most of them were also influenced by this book.

On the other hand, Zhu Houzhao also began to brew a reorganization of the Shaofu.

With the gradual expansion of the financial resources in his hands, the 'second-level' institution under the household department of Shaofu has become more and more like a first-level institution, and the pseudo-god of wealth of the household department Shangshu is crying poverty everywhere, because the silver of the treasury has long been decided. And Shaofu Ling has become the real God of Wealth.

Today, the Shaofu is in charge of the shipyards, grain merchants, and the city that never sleeps, and the Beijing Planning Department is also subordinate to it, in addition to the bank that has been prepared in its prototype...... Compared to the empty treasury, this is the real gold mountain.

After all, there are the most officials who want to climb up here, and the motivation is naturally different from that of other yamen.

After Gu Zuoguan was reinstated, he immediately devoted himself to government affairs with almost no time for adjustment.

For example, the deadline and time for the opening of the city that never sleeps were re-set, the personnel were convened to study and compile the white list, and the Qingzhengyuan shipyard was required to report on the production situation......

Each of these things is complicated.

In the midst of the busyness, the time has come to July,

In July, the confiscated silver taels in Yangzhou began to be sent to Beijing; In July, 5,000 young girls entered Beijing one after another;

In July, the ministers gradually discovered that the emperor had no interest in appointing a new envoy to the two Huai, until the emperor told them that the imperial court would no longer retain the salt envoy of the two Huai capitals, and the government and the opposition were shocked when the news came out.